A statue of a deceased German cardinal was removed from its perch outside Essen Cathedral in western Germany on Sept. 25, days after allegations of sexual abuse decades ago became public.
Germany’s Catholic bishops and lay representatives gathered on March 9 for the final meeting of a potentially groundbreaking reform assembly that has been marked by tensions between liberalizers and conservatives and is drawing increasingly open opposition from the Vatican.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, urged German Catholics to put aside visions and individual needs, noting, "the community must take precedence."
The Archdiocese of Berlin announced that it was temporarily suspending the work of its expert commission established to follow up on a legal report about sexual abuse in the archdiocese since 1946.
Services that offered blessings to same-sex couples at over 100 parishes across Germany were the latest chapter in ongoing tensions between the German Catholic Church and Rome.
Catholics around the world have their eyes on Germany as it works for change through its "Synodal Path," which is debating the issues of power, sexual morality, priestly life and the role of women in the church.
German Bishops' Conference president Bishop Georg Bätzing said he favors an intense exchange of views concerning the desire of some same-sex couples to receive the Catholic Church's blessing for their partnerships.
Germany's lower house of Parliament is considering replacing state payments to the nation's two largest churches. The Catholic and Protestant churches received combined state benefits of more than $650 million in 2020.
Pope Francis has granted a "time out" to a German archbishop who offered his resignation after being faulted for his handling of allegations of sexual abuse in his previous diocese, church authorities said Monday.
